Responding to a petition

Our response to your petition will depend on what the petition asks for (as part of the statement) and how many people have signed it. Our response may include:

• Taking the action requested in the petition
• Undertaking research into the matter
• Consideration of the petition at a public meeting (this will be the most relevant meeting according to the subject matter as determined by the Democratic Services Manager)
• Consideration by the council’s Scrutiny Commission if it has more than 750 signatures
• Consideration by Council if it has more than 1500 signatures

If your petition is about something over which the council has no direct control, we will consider making representations on behalf of the community to the relevant body. If we are not able to do this for any reason, we will set out the reasons for this. Find more information on the council including the services for which the council is responsible.

Consideration by the Scrutiny Commission

If your petition contains between 750 and 1,499 signatures and is about a matter for which the council is responsible, you may request that it be considered by the council’s Scrutiny Commission. If this is the case, it will be scheduled for consideration at the next appropriate meeting of the Scrutiny Commission. The petition organiser will be invited to attend the meeting and will be allowed five minutes to present the petition. The senior officer responsible for the service area will be permitted to respond, and members of the Scrutiny Commission will then debate the petition for a maximum of 15 minutes and will decide how to respond to the petition. The petition organiser will receive written confirmation of the decision and it will also be published on the council’s website.

Consideration by Council

If your petition contains 1,500 signatures or more and is about a matter for which the council is responsible, you may request that it be considered at a meeting of the Council, which all councillors can attend. If this is the case, it will be scheduled for consideration at the next appropriate meeting of the Council. The petition organiser will be invited to attend the meeting and will be allowed five minutes to present the petition. Councillors will then debate the petition for a maximum of 15 minutes and will decide how to respond. Where the issue is one on which the council’s Executive is required to make the final decision, Council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision. The petition organiser will receive written confirmation of the decision and it will also be published on the council’s website.

What can I do if I feel my petition has not been dealt with properly?

If you feel that we have not dealt with your petition properly, you should follow the council’s complaints procedure

Last updated: 30/11/2023 16:20